''Je suis le seigneur du château'' (English: ''I'm the King of the Castle'') is a 1989
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
, directed by
Régis Wargnier
Régis Wargnier (; born 18 April 1948) is a French film director, film producer, screenwriter and film score composer. His 1992 film ''Indochine (film), Indochine'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards. ...
Susan Hill
Dame Susan Elizabeth Hill, Lady Wells (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include '' The Woman in Black'', which has been adapted for stage and screen, '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and '' ...
.
Plot
The film stars Régis Arpin as 10-year-old Thomas, the son of a
millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire.
Many national currencies have, or ...
. Together, they live a fairly isolated existence, in a
mansion
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...
in rural France. His father (
Jean Rochefort
Jean Raoul Robert Rochefort (; 29 April 1930 – 9 October 2017) was a French actor. He received many accolades during his career, including an Honorary César in 1999.
Life and career
Rochefort was born on 29 April 1930 in Paris, France, to ...
) hires a woman (
Dominique Blanc
Dominique Blanc (born 25 April 1956) is a French actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' May Fools'' (1990), '' Indochine'' (1992), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), '' Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train'' (1998), and '' The Other One ...
), whose husband has been reported missing in the
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...
, to take care of things while he is away. The maid's son, Charles ( David Behar) moves in as well, and the two parents hope that the two can become friends; they become enemies immediately after meeting each other. Once their parents fall in love, Thomas decides to make Charles, whom he views as an "invader", as miserable as possible.
''Je suis le seigneur du château'' might be compared by some to the
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor and musician. Considered one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin has received a Golden Globe Award nomination and other accolades. In 200 ...
film '' The Good Son'', with its similar storyline. However, whereas Culkin's character is psychotic, Arpin's character's actions attempt to serve a purpose. The movie was recently repacked with ''
La Femme de ma vie
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
*La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...
'' in a 2-DVD set.
Notes
The film was shot at the chateau de Beaumanoir in the
Côtes-d'Armor
The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.Le Leslay commune. One sees also the countryside of the Huelgoat region and the town of
Morlaix
Morlaix (; , ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.
History
The Battle of Morlaix, part of the Hundred Years' War, was fought near the town on 30 Septembe ...
(the viaduct and the little streets around the church Saint-Melanie). The film was shot just a few months after the storm of 1987 of which there is visual evidence in the film.Fiche Cinematheque Bretagne /ref>
The film deviates from the novel in several key ways. Most notably, it imbues a
homoerotic
Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...
subtext in the relationship between Thomas and Charles. In the book, Thomas (named Edmund) and Charles fluctuate between being friends and enemies, but there are never any suggestions of romance between the two.